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Mantis was carried over the tumult of the dark and turbulent waters by a bee. The bee, however, became wearier and colder as he searched for solid ground, and Mantis felt heavier and heavier. He flew slower and sank down towards the water. At last, while floating on the water, the bee saw a great white flower, half-open, awaiting the sun's first rays. He laid Mantis in the heart of the flower and planted within him the seed of the first human being. Then the bee died. But as the sun rose and warmed the flower, Mantis awoke, and there, from the seed left by the bee, the first Bushman was born" - San people creation story.
Positioned at different points, mostly one hive at a time, between four hives out of ten in this particular apiary. What we are hearing I think boils down to four things, although if one wished, the list could go on for miles.
The physical material that the microphones "are in touch" with, in this case wood, and on track 05 a ceramic stopper.
The position on the build in relation to the activity inside the hive at any one time, which is densely interconnected to the atmosphere of the air. During this recording the air was charged with static, making the bees more aggressive than usual, the insects sensing the infrasonic shifts coupled together with the barometric pressure, cuasing them fly to the safety of their particular hive.
The proximity of the microphones in relation to actual physical contact between insect and transducer, this contact is usually the bees forewings, and perhaps the tarsus if they land on the microphone
Whilst I do not deny there there are many factors indwelling to my own particular methodologies throughout these recordings, I feel that due to the minimal editing and interference**, these pieces in their multiplicity represent perhaps a truer ear within the soundworld of these wonderful insects (an appendage that is almost always overlooked within reference to behaviour and other factors studied) than one that is chopped, rearranged, stitched, and processed. A more anthropic auditory document made by myself of honey bees has been released by the organised music from thessaloniki label.
**The placement of microphones in recording situations like this I have long felt to be more important than the processing and assemblage that inevitably ensues. I often spend much longer just sitting and thinking about where to attach them than I do anything else.
Perhaps these recordings fail in light of the thoughts presented here. If that is the case I would simply like to state that the thoughts and joy that these various recording processes have presented to me are enough to keep me smiling and listening , in awe of such phenomena and the myriad elements unknown to us, long may it stay that way.
01. Inside hive no 1 from top entrance (03:15)02. Inside hive no 3 from top entrance (11:19)03. Top ledge of hive no 3 above small entrance (12:17)04. Inside small entrance of hive no 4 (09:36) 05. On ceramic stopper of hive no 1 (04:55)06. Top entrances of hive nos 3 and 4 (15:52)07. Top right of hive no 2 (02:55)08. Wood stopper of hive no 4 (15:33)Drawing by Sarah Hughes
"Mantis was carried over the tumult of the dark and turbulent waters by a bee. The bee, however, became wearier and colder as he searched for solid ground, and Mantis felt heavier and heavier. He flew slower and sank down towards the water. At last, while floating on the water, the bee saw a great white flower, half-open, awaiting the sun's first rays. He laid Mantis in the heart of the flower and planted within him the seed of the first human being. Then the bee died. But as the sun rose and warmed the flower, Mantis awoke, and there, from the seed left by the bee, the first Bushman was born" - San people creation story. 
These two recordings were realized at STEIM in Amsterdam as part of my residency there in June 2009. I was listening to a lot of Alasdair Roberts and that manifested, I think, in the form of clear, ringing plucked strings. On that same journey, in Germany, I encountered this deer who was calm and friendly with anyone who had dried corn.
'Sunday afternoon, 29th March, 2009 - Neil's flat in Glasgow, in the kitchen with the window open: here is a recording, very much a location recording, of myself & Neil Davidson playing one of my photographic scores. These pieces begin with a very wide field of interpretation available to the performers & in this case the informal & sociable nature of the session had a significant influence on the work (positive). Neil plays acoustic flat wound guitar with preparations & I play field recordings, zither & paper. Glasgow contributes wind rattling the window & other sounds coming in through it' - JrF
"I will start out this evening with an assertion: fantasy is a place where it rains." 
